Steering stepper



June 23, 1925.

R. VENZLAFF STEERING STEPPER original Filed Feb. 1e, 1921 mia y Invenofi by N A Q l Aiiorney.

Patented .lune 2253, i925.

Fri i? E D S T BICI-IARD VENZLAFF, l0F'BEE-11211.11

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yGili-llfANY, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO ARTHUR VON MUIEI AND ONE-@HlRD TO'WALTER VONMUMM, BOTH Oli` BERLIN, GERMANY.

STEERING STEPPER.

Original application filed February 16, 1921, Serial N'o. 445,552.Divided and this application filed A March 23, 1922. Serial No. 546,176.

To all whom tf/nay concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD VENZLAFF, a citizen of Germany, residingatBerlin, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSteering Steppers (for which l have filed application in Germany April12th, 1920), of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to Vehicles and more especially to vehicles glidingacross supports carried along by the vehicle itself. For the transportlof loads across uneven roadsor in vregions lacking goed roads, it has'already been repeatedly propo/sed to employ in the place of vehiclesfitted with wheels and besides the class of vehicles commonly known astanks and operating by means of endless link-chains, vehicles moving onrunners which are alternately raised and then set down on the ground andacross which the vehicle then glides forward. As soon therefoi-easthevunderframe along with the body has glided across a set of runners,in order to pass over on to another set which has meanwhile been movedforward, the first set of runners is raised from the groundand shiftedforward along the under-frame only to be set down again on thevground infront of the underframe and once again to serve as a support for theunderframe as it glides forward. Y

In vehicles of this particular kind lateral steering has hitherto provedvery difficult and it is an object of the present invention to providemeans for effecting the lateral steering with great ease and withoutconsiderable expense of power.

This application is a division of my previous application Serial No.445,552, tiled February 16, 1921.

ln the drawings accompanying this specification and forming part thereofa steering device embodying my invention is illustrated diagrammaticallyby way of eX- ample. In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a plan of the frame, theplatform, which is rigidly fixed to the inner frame, being removed.

Fig. 2 d'scloses on an enlarged scale the position of the parts aftersteering has been effected, the position drawn in full lines showing therocking' of the outer relieved pair of runners relatively to the innerpair,

vwhile the posit-ion indicated in dash lines shows the position of theouter pair of runners, after it has been rocked in the directionrelatively to the inner pair.

A is a rectangular frame carrying the outer pair of runners and B is asimilar' frame carrying the inner pair of runners and the platform, thislatter aswell as the runners being left out for tire sake of clearness.The frames A and B- areV pivoted to one another by a pivotpin C. If theouter pair of runners is resting on the gro-und with the weight of thecar and load acting thereon, the inner pair of runners with its frame Bbeing relieved and out of contact with the ground can be turned aboutpivot pin C, and vice versa. The means for thus turning one or the otherframe consists of a pair of angle levers 168, 168a pivoted with theirapexes D to one of the frames and with their outer ends E to the otherframe, while their inner ends ar acted upon by the motor (not shown) andcrankshaft 164. Obviously, if the outer frame A is loaded and the innerframe relieved, 'a force acting on the inner arms of the angle leverswill cause the levers to swing about their outer ends E which areimmobilizedwith the outer frame, thereby displacing lthe 4inner frame Babout the pivot pin C. As in the example illustrated in the drawings theplatform is assumed tobe fixed to lthe inner frame, it will participatein the swinging movement and the entire load will thus swing about thepivot pin C and the outer frame A resting on the ground with the outerpair of runners. On

`the other hand, if, as shown on the drawing,

the inner pair of runners resting on the ground has immobilized theinner frame, the outer frame will swing about the pivot pin C nowcarried by the inner frame, the force acting on the inner ends of theangle levers causing these latter to swing about their apexes D, D andtheir outer ends to turn the outer frame.

On the crank 164: being turned, the link 165 connected thereto displacesthe slotted segment 166 in which a link 167 pivoted to the angle lever168 is adapted to move. Along with the link 167 a rod 169 engages theangle lever 168, the said rod being connected with the angle lever 168,corresponding to lever 168 and arranged at the opposite end, rod 169serving to transmit the motion executed by the one lever to the other.

Il U

On the steering column 135 (Fig. 2) there is fixed a small gear wheel136 gearing with a rack 137 which is rigidly connected by bolts 138 witha T-shaped piece 139, the middle portion of which has a slot 140 whichembraces a bolt 141 fixed to the platform. The end of this bolt extendsint-o the curved slot 149I of the segment 166 which permanentlyoseillates about the pivot 146 fixed to the platform.

If it be now intended to steer the vehicle, then by means of thesteering column 135 the T-shaped element 139 is shifted towards thatside in the direction of which the vehicle shall be steered. The middlearm of the T-shaped member 139 carries the pin 141 along, so that thepin is shifted toward one or the other extremity of the slot 142 formedin the segment and therefore participates in the movements carried outby the extremity on the side in question. Along with this pin 141, therod 167 is now also shifted to and fro and strives to rock the anglelevers 168 and 168n about theii1 respective apexes D, thereby causingtheir outer ends E to turn the outer frame A and the outer runners aboutthe pivot pin C.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to theexact details of construction shown and described, for obviousmodifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim '1. A vehicle comprising in combination, two pairs of runners,a. frame rigidly connecting the runners of each pair to form a unit, anangle lever adapted to swing' about the frame of one pair and pivotallyengaging the frame of the other pair, a double armed segment capable ofpivoting on said latter frame, a crank shaft, operative connectionbetween said shaft and said segment for causing permanent rocking motionof said segment and a. link pivoted to the free end of said angle leverand to one end of said segment.

2. A vehicle comprising in combination, two pairs of runners, a framerigidly connecting the runners of each pair to form a unit, an anglelever adapted to swing about the frame-of o-ne pair and Apivotallyengaging the frame of the other pair, a double armed slotted segmentcapable of pivoting on said latter frame, a crank shaft, opera tiveconnection bet-Ween said shaft and said segment for causing permanentrocking motion of said segment, a bolt fixed to the frame about which4said angle lever rocks, said bolt extending into the slot o-f saidsegment, means for shifting said bolt from one end of said slot to theother and a link pivotally connecting the free kend of said angle leverwith said bolt.

3. A vehicle comprising in combination, two pairs of runners, a framerigidly connecting the runners of each pair to form a unit, an anglelever adapted to swing about the frame of one pair and pivot-allyengaging the frame of the other pair, a .double armed slotted segmentcapable of pivoting on .said latter frame, a crank shaft, operaw tiveconnection between said shaft and said segment for causing permanentrocking motion of said segment, a slotted T-shaped member, a steeringcolumn operatively connected with said member for shifting it to# wardsthe right or left, a bolt fixed to the frame about which said anglelever rocks, said bolt extending int-o .the slot of said segment andinto the slot of said T-shaped member and a link pivotally connectingthe free end of said angle lever with said bolt.

In testimony whereof I .aiiix my signature.

mor-IARD vENZLAFF.

